After more than three weeks of speculation following his dismantling of Robert Guerrero on May 4, Floyd “Money” Mayweather has announced his next opponent.
As the pound-for-pound champ tweeted Wednesday night, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will be the next obstacle in his quest to retire undefeated, leaving a wake of tremendous opponents in his wake:
And the last bit of that tweet wasn’t hyperbole. Every boxing fan on the planet wants to see the world’s best go toe to toe with the next big thing in boxing.
| Floyd Joy Mayweather Jr. | Full Name | Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan |
| 44-0 | Record | 42-0-1 |
| 26 | KOs | 32 |
| 36 | Age (at time of fight) | 23 |
| 5'8" | Height | 5' 7.5" |
| 72" | Reach | 71" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
Despite a resume that boasts wins over the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto in the last six years, some have called for Mayweather to end his career on a high note with a handful of the best opponents he can find.
The September superfight with Canelo will likely be the first of his last five professional fights before his contract with Showtime/CBS expires, and he signals an end of one of the most impressive careers boxing has ever seen.
But at 44-0, Mayweather didn’t have to prove anything. He chose Canelo to send a message to the rest of the boxing world: Money won’t back down from any fight, now or at any point before he retires.
The hype already mounting for this fight—just hours after the announcement—is certainly justified. As ESPN Stats & Info tweeted, this will be Mayweather’s first bout against an undefeated opponent in six years:
Canelo is a tremendous fighter with the speed, power and well-rounded technical skills to warrant a shot at the pound-for-pound kingpin. And at 23 (at the time of the fight), he’ll also present Mayweather with the kind of balanced matchup everyone has been salivating over.
Even at 36, Money looks like the vintage fighter who traversed five divisions with five titles. His victory over Guerrero in their “May Day” bout was a warning shot across the bow of every fighter hoping to take him down before he retires. The best fighter on the planet hasn’t been slowed by Father Time, and he won’t let age affect how he fares against Canelo, either.
Still, Canelo is a tremendously talented young boxer with the undeniable chops to make this the best fight we’re sure to see all year. He’s yet to lose in 44 bouts, but one way or another, someone is walking away from this fight with his first blemish.
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